The tricky second album

Finally finishing a draft of my new book - and vowing to be more Rocky Flintstone about the next one

On Friday, I finally submitted a finished draft of my new book¹ to my publisher. Well, finishedish. Approximately four minutes after clicking send, I began compiling a now not-short list of things I’d forgotten to include. But at least the basic contents of it are down on paper rather than just floating around in my head. The bones exist of what will hopefully one day resemble an actual book that you can walk into a shop and buy.

In my experience, the process of a book coming to life goes something like this: 1) you put together a book proposal, 2) you get offered a publishing deal, 3) you go away and finish writing, 4) you submit the draft manuscript to your publisher, 5) there are multiple rounds of edits, 6) all the design and marketing stuff gets done and then finally 7) a book exists. Not forgetting 8) you promote it for the rest of eternity until everybody is sick of hearing about it.

I know how incredibly lucky I am to have ever made it past step two - that’s the bit I grew up be…